Amused and Alarmed

Change in Venue

It seems very likely that I will move back to the U.S. in July, because the U.S. company I work for is having trouble satisfying the administrative reporting requirements of my being in Italy, and given my intermediate Italian, it would be hard for me to find another job here in which I could maintain the lifestyle (including intellectual lifestyle) to which I am accustomed.

This is surprising; I expected to be here longer. There are things (and people and places) I will miss very much.

However, I'm pretty well prepared. I already had my "flee the country" ducks in a row in case of tail risks including: my company fails because Trump disbands the FCC and strikes down the Americans with Disabilities Act; the EU unravels and there is major economic and political chaos; one of my immediate family members becomes grievously ill. All things considered, what has happened is the best worst case, an overall fairly rosy scenario.

For now, since I know I'll be sad later, I am focusing on the things I was getting ready to miss in the next two years but won't have to, including:

- My 20-year high school reunion

- The funeral of my 97-year-old grandmother, my only surviving grandparent, who is alive and in reasonable health, but one assumes

- The wedding of a very dear friend who was part of my wedding party

- Promotional appearances for a press my best friend and I are launching

- I have been developing a feature project that is set in the United States and it will be much easier to make that happen

Massachusetts, a bit northwest of Boston, which is where most of my stuff is already.

The feature is a thing Ciro and I have been pre-writing for a few years now, working title Power, which is low-budget urban fantasy, specifically because we think that part of what would make magic feel magical would be the contrast with an otherwise verite environment. Thematically, it's about coalition resistance to rent-seeking white masculinity.

That would be amazing! I can't say precisely what my return date is, but probably somewhere in the neighborhood of July 10. My place has a guest room if you need it, though it's not in the city proper (it's on commuter rail).

low-budget urban fantasy, specifically because we think that part of what would make magic feel magical would be the contrast with an otherwise verite environment. Thematically, it's about coalition resistance to rent-seeking white masculinity.